BEST OF DEZ BRYANT -- Dez Bryant during afternoon practice at training camp in Oxnard, California on Aug. 18, 2010.

Staff reports

Published: 28 May 2013 08:22 PM

Updated: 28 May 2013 08:22 PM

Dez Bryant is about to enter his fourth season in the NFL, so it can be easy to forget just how young the Cowboys receiver is.

Still six months shy of his 25th birthday, Bryant was eligible to make the cut on NFL analyst Jamie Dukes' list of the "Top five receivers under 25," which he recently revealed on the NFL Network's NFL AM show. Bryant came in at No. 3.

"He is No. 3 on
my list because this guy is a great football player," Dukes said. "He’s big, he’s strong, he’s
country strong – that’s basically the best way you can characterize what he’s
able to do. He reminds me of Cris Carter with his hands, those mitts. That’s
why he only needed four fingers when he hurt one of his fingers last year."

Truthfully, Bryant might have had the best statistical season of the group, finishing behind only Thomas in receiving yards with 1,382 and leading the group with 12 receiving touchdowns. But Bryant's problem is what NFL AM co-host Mark Kriegel termed "knucklehead-itis," which Dukes said won't be cured by Bryant's on-field success in 2012.

"No, you can't cure that. Knucklehead-itis stems from life, it has nothing to do with things that happen on the field," Dukes said.

"But
this guy can do everything. The question becomes… the 'knucklehead-itis.' Can he
stem those demons in the down time? That’s the question that’s going to keep
this kid from greatness."

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